Jonas' Memory
by year of the fox
Summary: This is my ending to the Giver. What I think happens after the book ends.


24  
  
Jonas' Memory  
  
Jonas felt the cold coming back to him as the sled stopped. He had seen bright lights inside of windows. He got up slowly, still holding Gabe close to his chest.  
  
"Hey," he heard from behind him, "you took my sled!" A brightly colored, puffy figure was waddling toward him. As it got closer, Jonas realized it was a child. Maybe a Six. The child walked up, snatched the sled's rope up in its hands, and waddled it's way back up the hill. Jonas could see other puffy figures, sledding down the paper white hill.  
  
Looking around, he saw dwellings on either side of a snow and dirt covered road. But they were not the kind of dwellings he had in his community. They were all different. Some were farther back than others. Some had trees or bushes that were decorated with lights, or snowmen in front of them. Jonas recalled the snowmen from a memory of building one. The Giver had given it to him one evening after a hard session. Some of the dwellings had walls in front of them, but what were they called again, fences. Some were white, some yellow, some blue. They were all different. They weren't dwellings as Jonas knew. He had seen these in some memories. They were houses.  
  
Jonas heard a small whimper from his arms and it seemed that the cold was really getting to Gabe. His cheeks were much more rosier than usual. Suddenly he heard a loud noise from in front of him. An old woman was running toward him. She had silver hair and wise green eyes. Jonas thought her eyes were very unusual. She ran up to the shivering boys and wrapped her arms around them. She was wearing colors.  
  
"My dear are you all right? What are you doing in this weather without a coat?" She didn't wait for him to respond and yelled back at her house. "Ed! Eddie! Get out here now I need your help!" An old man came out of the house followed by a woman who looked much younger. Perhaps 20 years old. The old man was very bald, Jonas noticed. He was short and also wore colors.  
  
The old woman rushed Jonas and towards the man she called Eddie. Time seemed to move very fast for Jonas as the younger woman took Gabe from his arms and hugged him close to her chest. The elders escorted Jonas inside closely followed by the younger woman.  
  
They entered a blue house. The second Jonas stepped in he could feel the warmth. He watched the people dodging around getting items. When Jonas entered the house he saw a dark wooden staircase in a small pink hallway. There was a small table that matched the staircase pushed up against a wall. There were flowers on top of it, in a vase. Jonas had never thought of bringing flowers inside, like the Giver's favorite memory. There was a room on either side of the hall and one at the end.  
  
A blanket was thrown around his shoulders and he was ushered into the room on his left. It was much bigger than the hall and white. There was a tree pushed up against the...the window, Jonas remembered. He was directed to the couch by the old woman's arms. That would have been considered very rude in Jonas' community. The old man came in with some brown beverage. Jonas stared at the tree. It was beautifully decorated. It dazzled and sparkled. Jonas though he would never see one of these for real.  
  
"Here you go, dear," the woman took the drink from Ed's hands and handed it to Jonas, "What is your name?" Jonas was starting to thaw out.  
  
"Where is my brother?" he asked. "Where is Gabe?"  
  
"The baby you had? My daughter Janie is taking care of him." she answered. She then repeated her question, "What is your name?"  
  
"My name is Jonas."  
  
"Well Jonas, where are you parents?" the woman asked. Ed stood by wiping his face. He seemed very tired.  
  
Jonas remember his father. His father who had murdered that tiny infant. Jonas remember sitting with the Giver, watching. He remembered being so unaware of what was about to happen. Predicting what was going to happen. He was wrong, and now he was very aware.   
  
"I don't have any parents." Jonas said flatly. Janie walked into the room, holding a bundle with Gabe's face sticking out of it, "Neither of us do."  
  
The old woman and Eddie looked at each other. "Well you just finish you cocoa." Cocoa? Jonas looked down at the beverage. He assumed that's what it was. He took a sip of the brown liquid. It was warm and sweet and he quickly gulped it down.  
  
Janie was sitting in a rocking chair across the room. Jonas set his cup down on the table in front of him and walked over, wrapping his blanket tightly around himself. This was the first time he had actually gotten a good look at Janie. She had red hair like Fiona's and long lashes. She was a tiny person with freckles scattered across her face. She was looking down at Gabe when she noticed Jonas was approaching. She glanced at him and smiled and continued to rock Gabe. This is it, Jonas thought, this is the way it should be. This is the real world.  
  
The old woman and Eddie were talking in the kitchen.  
  
"Well, what do we do Ed?"  
  
"We keep 'em. Just until we find their home."  
  
"Who are those people to you?" Jonas asked.  
  
Janie glanced up at him. "They are my parents. Ed and Larissa Jacobs." They still saw their child? That was new to Jonas.  
  
"Larissa?" Jonas asked. Janie nodded. "I knew a lady named Larissa once. She was very nice." It was then that Jonas knew everything was going to be all right. He sat back down on the couch, and went into the happiest sleep he'd ever been in. He was finally where he was supposed to be. The last thing he saw was Janie rocking Gabe, and the tree twinkling. He heard music, and with the Giver in his mind he thought, This is what I was talking about. This is the way things are supposed to be. This is home. 


End file.
